Expanded Psionics Handbook: is it worth it? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Expanded Psionics Handbook: is it worth it? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Fenrir_Greyback
04-22-08, 07:29 AM I'm looking at getting into Psionics a bit more than I already am (Not into them at all, nor do I know anything about them) and as I was looking at book prices, and looked at the EPH, I noticed that price is quite high. 50 dollars, and used.

I'm wondering whether or not it's worth it. Any opinions? I also noticed that the third edition Psionics Handbook was only 3.99 and new. I know it's pretty easy to change things over from 3 to 3.5, but how much am I missing for the extra 46.01?
0dan
04-22-08, 07:56 AM i definitely wouldn't pay $50.00!! that's crazy. especially for used. someone is just plain ripping people off! :mad:
if you check the price on the back of the book it goes for $34.95. i would seriously look on ebay if you have an account.
Kanachi
04-22-08, 08:04 AM Well its hard to exactly quantify what is and isn’t worth a certain amount of money... $50 is about Ł25 and to be honest I would find it very hard to justify parting with that much money for a single book.

Price aside however, I can tell you that the EPH is a fantastic book, one of the best in all of 3.5. Its system is sensible, fun to use and really flexible. Its more balanced than magic and has far fewer munchkin possibilities. Its not all about the crunch as well, the fluff also makes for an interesting read though it can get a little sci-fi/manga for some people at times (though i've never really encountered this problem).

The book is of course only of use if you intent to use psionics (though there are a few general feats of note in there). So be sure you like the idea behind the book before you invest.... or better still play using the SRD.

The SRD contains pretty much all the major rules and is very complete, you should definitely be able to make a few psionic characters using it and trial run them through a simple quest. There is of course no substitute for holding the physical book in your hands, but its a great place to start.

I hope this helps!

:)
JohnnyArkham
04-22-08, 08:08 AM Currently $32 on eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Dungeons-Dragons-Expanded-Psionics-Handbook_W0QQitemZ360044437160QQihZ023QQ categoryZ377QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmd ZViewItem)
Artector
04-22-08, 08:10 AM 3rd edition psionics were almost unplayable. Each discipline was based off of a different stat (yes, there were six), so you had the worse case of MAD. Going along with how horrible the MAD was was Psionic Combat, which involved spending your power points or taking ability damage... while the monsters could do it for free. Antidjinn has a great post somewhere on it, but I don't know where. Anyways 3.0 psionics = getting kicked in the nuts... then told you have terminal cancer.

3.5 however got rid of the silly things from 3.0, you no longer have MAD, or Psionic Combat. And it works very well as a system, intuitive and simple. IE: Augments, you pay more you get more. There's a lot more I could list, but hopefully you get the idea.

I'd suggest looking at the stickied threads and the SRD (www.d20srd.org) to get an impression of what the system is like.
0dan
04-22-08, 08:12 AM Currently $32 on eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Dungeons-Dragons-Expanded-Psionics-Handbook_W0QQitemZ360044437160QQihZ023QQ categoryZ377QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmd ZViewItem)

sorry. my mistake. i was looking at the 3.0 :(
hogarth
04-22-08, 09:09 AM I agree with everyone else: check out the "crunch" part in the Psionic SRD first, then you can decide whether it's worth paying for the "fluff" part of the XPH.
Bacris
04-22-08, 09:40 AM Don't get the 3.0 Psionic's Handbook.

Period.

Search around - http://store.comicboxx.com/woc-96666000.html - $34.95 (i.e. full cover price)
CrimsonDeath
04-22-08, 12:32 PM I'm looking at getting into Psionics a bit more than I already am (Not into them at all, nor do I know anything about them) and as I was looking at book prices, and looked at the EPH, I noticed that price is quite high. 50 dollars, and used.

I'm wondering whether or not it's worth it. Any opinions? I also noticed that the third edition Psionics Handbook was only 3.99 and new. I know it's pretty easy to change things over from 3 to 3.5, but how much am I missing for the extra 46.01?

I'd sooner bay $50 for the Expanded Psionics Handbook than $4 for the Psionics Handbook. It's not that the Expanded Psionics Handbook is that great. Rather. 3.0 psionics was that awful.

The Expanded Psionics Handbook is a bit of a misnomer. It's a completely new system. So much has changed that no, you really can't just convert it.
Tempest Stormwind
04-22-08, 01:19 PM Antidjinn has a great post somewhere on it, but I don't know where. Anyways 3.0 psionics = getting kicked in the nuts... then told you have terminal cancer.

It's in my sig. Search for "moo". (For those unused to the system, the sad part is AntiDjinn's not exaggerating there at all.)

The usual analogy is that going between 3e and 3.5e psionics was like trading a cold sore for a car.
The_Mess
04-22-08, 01:41 PM Here's a copy for $31, though I can't vouch for the store:

http://www.eruditor.com/exec/books/item/9780786933013.html.en?currency=USD

Wow, my normal sources for cheap books are failing me. Even Alibris doesn't have any for less than $40.
AntiDjinn
04-22-08, 08:06 PM At $3.99 that 3rd edition PsiHB is a ripoff; they should pay you that much to get it off their shelf. The book never was worth its cover price. The fact that the price has dropped over time should tell you all you need to know about the book: Not even collectors want one.

The XPH, by contrast, was one of the best values in D&D. If you wind up paying $50, don't consider it to be the price of the book, consider it to be the price of the lesson learned: Don't wait until scarcity and collectors' value drive up the price.

Or, you could wait until 4th ed. If 4E psionics (expected about a year, or so, after the PHB) are good then the price of the 3.5 XPH should drop. If Psi 4.0 sucks, then expect to pay even more for a precious XPH.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Fenrir_Greyback 04-22-08, 07:29 AM	I'm looking at getting into Psionics a bit more than I already am (Not into them at all, nor do I know anything about them) and as I was looking at book prices, and looked at the EPH, I noticed that price is quite high. 50 dollars, and used. I'm wondering whether or not it's worth it. Any opinions? I also noticed that the third edition Psionics Handbook was only 3.99 and new. I know it's pretty easy to change things over from 3 to 3.5, but how much am I missing for the extra 46.01?
0dan 04-22-08, 07:56 AM	i definitely wouldn't pay $50.00!! that's crazy. especially for used. someone is just plain ripping people off! :mad: if you check the price on the back of the book it goes for $34.95. i would seriously look on ebay if you have an account.
Kanachi 04-22-08, 08:04 AM	Well its hard to exactly quantify what is and isn’t worth a certain amount of money... $50 is about Ł25 and to be honest I would find it very hard to justify parting with that much money for a single book. Price aside however, I can tell you that the EPH is a fantastic book, one of the best in all of 3.5. Its system is sensible, fun to use and really flexible. Its more balanced than magic and has far fewer munchkin possibilities. Its not all about the crunch as well, the fluff also makes for an interesting read though it can get a little sci-fi/manga for some people at times (though i've never really encountered this problem). The book is of course only of use if you intent to use psionics (though there are a few general feats of note in there). So be sure you like the idea behind the book before you invest.... or better still play using the SRD. The SRD contains pretty much all the major rules and is very complete, you should definitely be able to make a few psionic characters using it and trial run them through a simple quest. There is of course no substitute for holding the physical book in your hands, but its a great place to start. I hope this helps! :)
JohnnyArkham 04-22-08, 08:08 AM	Currently $32 on eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Dungeons-Dragons-Expanded-Psionics-Handbook_W0QQitemZ360044437160QQihZ023QQ categoryZ377QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmd ZViewItem)
Artector 04-22-08, 08:10 AM	3rd edition psionics were almost unplayable. Each discipline was based off of a different stat (yes, there were six), so you had the worse case of MAD. Going along with how horrible the MAD was was Psionic Combat, which involved spending your power points or taking ability damage... while the monsters could do it for free. Antidjinn has a great post somewhere on it, but I don't know where. Anyways 3.0 psionics = getting kicked in the nuts... then told you have terminal cancer. 3.5 however got rid of the silly things from 3.0, you no longer have MAD, or Psionic Combat. And it works very well as a system, intuitive and simple. IE: Augments, you pay more you get more. There's a lot more I could list, but hopefully you get the idea. I'd suggest looking at the stickied threads and the SRD (www.d20srd.org) to get an impression of what the system is like.
0dan 04-22-08, 08:12 AM	Currently $32 on eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Dungeons-Dragons-Expanded-Psionics-Handbook_W0QQitemZ360044437160QQihZ023QQ categoryZ377QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmd ZViewItem) sorry. my mistake. i was looking at the 3.0 :(
hogarth 04-22-08, 09:09 AM	I agree with everyone else: check out the "crunch" part in the Psionic SRD first, then you can decide whether it's worth paying for the "fluff" part of the XPH.
Bacris 04-22-08, 09:40 AM	Don't get the 3.0 Psionic's Handbook. Period. Search around - http://store.comicboxx.com/woc-96666000.html - $34.95 (i.e. full cover price)
CrimsonDeath 04-22-08, 12:32 PM	I'm looking at getting into Psionics a bit more than I already am (Not into them at all, nor do I know anything about them) and as I was looking at book prices, and looked at the EPH, I noticed that price is quite high. 50 dollars, and used. I'm wondering whether or not it's worth it. Any opinions? I also noticed that the third edition Psionics Handbook was only 3.99 and new. I know it's pretty easy to change things over from 3 to 3.5, but how much am I missing for the extra 46.01? I'd sooner bay $50 for the Expanded Psionics Handbook than $4 for the Psionics Handbook. It's not that the Expanded Psionics Handbook is that great. Rather. 3.0 psionics was that awful. The Expanded Psionics Handbook is a bit of a misnomer. It's a completely new system. So much has changed that no, you really can't just convert it.
Tempest Stormwind 04-22-08, 01:19 PM	Antidjinn has a great post somewhere on it, but I don't know where. Anyways 3.0 psionics = getting kicked in the nuts... then told you have terminal cancer. It's in my sig. Search for "moo". (For those unused to the system, the sad part is AntiDjinn's not exaggerating there at all.) The usual analogy is that going between 3e and 3.5e psionics was like trading a cold sore for a car.
The_Mess 04-22-08, 01:41 PM	Here's a copy for $31, though I can't vouch for the store: http://www.eruditor.com/exec/books/item/9780786933013.html.en?currency=USD Wow, my normal sources for cheap books are failing me. Even Alibris doesn't have any for less than $40.
AntiDjinn 04-22-08, 08:06 PM	At $3.99 that 3rd edition PsiHB is a ripoff; they should pay you that much to get it off their shelf. The book never was worth its cover price. The fact that the price has dropped over time should tell you all you need to know about the book: Not even collectors want one. The XPH, by contrast, was one of the best values in D&D. If you wind up paying $50, don't consider it to be the price of the book, consider it to be the price of the lesson learned: Don't wait until scarcity and collectors' value drive up the price. Or, you could wait until 4th ed. If 4E psionics (expected about a year, or so, after the PHB) are good then the price of the 3.5 XPH should drop. If Psi 4.0 sucks, then expect to pay even more for a precious XPH.